Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0022568 (keratitis)
 5,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Corneal diseases in the Cat and the Dog are of great variety and present similitudes with human corneal disorders, as demonstrated by the present report which discusses dystrophies, degenerations and inflammations of the cornea successively. Deep endothelial dystrophies are rare, poorly understood, and related to certain breeds; lipid dystrophies are frequent and either primary, occurring in some breeds only, or secondary to hyperlipemia; calcareous dystrophies are breed-related affections. Primary corneal degeneration has been described in the cat only and is a very rare affection. Keratitis is by far the commonest corneal lesion reported, and may be of herpes virus origin in the Cat and due to adenovirus in the Dog. Dry keratitis as in humans has also been observed. Two types of keratitis of allergic origin are described which are closely related to two breeds of dog: Alsatians and the long-haired dachshund. Recurrent corneal erosions, poorly recognized in veterinary medicine, are now described; their etiology and histological appearances are comparable with those reported in humans. These findings emphasize the interest of using animal models for human pathology investigations.
 ...
PMID:[Corneal pathology in the cat and dog]. 661 Jun 98

Recurrent corneal erosions (RCE) are common. They are characterised by repeated episodes of pain, difficulty in opening the eyes, watering, and photophobia resulting from poor epithelial adhesion. In the majority of patients with RCE, trauma is the initiating factor. Epithelial, stromal, and endothelial corneal dystrophies have all been described in association with RCE. Other causes that may lead to RCE include chemical and thermal injuries, previous herpetic keratitis, meibomian gland dysfunction, ocular rosacea, diabetes mellitus, Salzmann's nodular degeneration, band keratopathy, previous bacterial ulceration, kerato-conjunctivitis sicca, and epidermolysis bullosa. The conditions that are associated with RCE can be either primary or secondary depending on whether the basement membrane complex abnormality is intrinsic or acquired. Primary types tend to be bilateral, symmetrical and develop in multiple corneal locations. The pathogenetic mechanism of this disorder is related to poor adhesion of the corneal epithelium to the underlying stroma. Excessive matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity may play a role in the pathogenesis. Although the majority of patients will respond to simple measures such as padding and antibiotic ointment, RCE resistant to simple measures require approaches that are more elaborate. The common goal of these approaches is to encourage proper formation of adhesion complexes between the epithelium and the stroma. The use of long-term contact lenses, autologous serum eye drops, botulinum toxin, induced ptosis, oral MMP inhibitors, diamond burr polishing of Bowman's membrane have been reported with varying degree of success in treating RCE. Anterior stromal puncture with insulin needles or Neodymium : aluminium-yttrium-garnet may enhance the epithelial adhesion to the basement membrane by scar formation and success rates of up to 80% have been reported in the treatment of recalcitrant RCE. Excimer laser photo-therapeutic keratectomy (PTK) is now a well-established treatment modality for RCE and is being used both safely and effectively. Partial ablation of Bowman's layer with PTK gives a smooth surface for the newly generating epithelium to migrate and form adhesion complexes. The pathogenesis, clinical features, and management options of this common disorder are discussed in this review article.
 ...
PMID:Pathogenesis, clinical features and management of recurrent corneal erosions. 1757 Oct 89